These Ottawa homeowners wanted to make their kitchen a hub for hanging out as a family and for entertaining, but their kitchen was closed off from the rest of the house and didn’t feel inviting. “And like most family households, they needed a place for everything,” says designer Nathan Kyle of Astro Design Center. This meant being strategic about every inch of storage. In the course of a complete remodel, he opened the kitchen to the family room and placed a long, hardworking island in the center. Now it’s a welcoming room where everyone loves to spend time.

"The backstory:For this new-construction home, the key to lasting design was keeping the look fresh and current without time-stamping it through popular materials." Houzz

“The kitchen and entire home were dreamt up to have soft modern farmhouse feel,” designer Dean Large of Astro Design Centre says. “We wanted the space to have a sense of permanence, which we reflected in the materials. We didn’t want the space to ever feel as though it was built at a certain point in time.”

When it comes to kitchen planning. cabinets play one of the most important roles in both your kitchen's appearance and functionality. With so many new kitchen cabinet options out there, we narrowed down our top 6 cabinet door styles, ranging from sleek high gloss to refined shaker and rough-chic. Explore the different options available in today's kitchen world from Downsview, Aster and our house brand to find the one that's right for your dream space.

As the kitchen continues to evolve from a room with a merely utilitarian purpose to becoming the heart and soul of the home, designers strive to re-imagine and improve upon this ever more important gathering space. The new dual function of the kitchen – preparing food as well as encouraging family interaction and entertaining guests – lends itself to several key design features that continue to enhance both aesthetics and functionality of the new social hub of the home.

The Kitchen Concept

Kitchen & Bath Designer, Julia Enriquez of Astro, recently completed a remodel for a couple planning to add an extension to their home for their new kitchen. The couple live in a beautiful historic home in Rockcliffe Park, and were looking for a space they could relax, entertain and enjoy each other’s company. The couple sought out Julia and got into planning their kitchen remodel.

The Background

Roughly this time last year I sat down with a new client. She came in flustered having just bought a new home, she had a two year old son in her right hand a 3 month old daughter in her left hand; needless to say starting a renovation was rather daunting. The client had a conceptual idea for the home and a husband who was onboard for anything. Before I saw a single photo of their newly purchased home I was told “we want the home to have a calm Scandinavian country feel… but still modern”. Then the moment of surprise came, I was presented photos of house untouched since its 1930’s construction and a set of architectural plans for a renovation that looked like every mass builder would produce. First thing I asked the client was “If I can have your trust, would you let me throw out any preliminary work and let me start new?” The client said yes and everything else is history.

Astro Designer, Dean Large shares his design process with this Before & After Rejuvenation of a Heritage Home in the Glebe.

The Restoration

Ottawa seems as though it is the city of beautiful old homes that nobody wants to care for. The city is going through a period where home owners are opting for the wrecking ball instead of spending the extra time restoring these once stunning homes. This past summer I met a fantastic family who was tired of their suburban home and opted to move into the oh-so coveted Glebe. They sought out a home in need of rejuvenation and took it upon themselves to bring it back to its former glory.

Nathan Kyle of Astro Design Centre has recently completed a top-to-bottom kitchen remodel, where he transformed the space from tired and outdated, to masculine and elegant. See the before and after transformation and all the details that went in to making this traditional space so beautiful.

Farmhouse Designs

Kitchen and Bath Designer, Dean Large of Astro Design Centre, has completed top-to-bottom designs in this new Farmhouse outside of Ottawa. His designs have won awards at the NBKA Design Excellence Gala, and have been featured in Ottawa at Home Magazine for its unique charm. Below is a recap highlighting Dean’s kitchen and bath designs in this new home

"Mixing matrials for kitchen countertops has many benefits. For one, you can save money by using a less expensive material for your perimeter countertops while splurging on something more luxurious for an island top. Plus, mixing materials is a great way to add visual interest to your kitchen and avoid the overabundance of one color or material. With that in mind, designers are pairing marble with walnut, granite with reclaimed wood, engineered quartz with maple butcher block and more to create diverse surfaces for working, eating and gathering."